One Vancouver Canucks prospect will be going to the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal game.
Vancouver Canucks prospect Wilson Björck and Sweden are officially heading to the gold medal game of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. Today’s semi-final games saw two Canucks prospects play and included some narrow victories and narrow losses. Here’s a look at how today’s World Juniors matchups concluded.
Sweden 4, Finland 3 (SO)
Sweden and Finland’s game was a nailbiter right to the end, going past overtime and requiring extra shootout rounds in order to come to a conclusion. At the end, it was Sweden who were victorious in today’s early game, as Anton Frondell scored against Finnish goaltender Petteri Rimpinen to send Sweden to the gold medal game.
Today’s semi-final matchup was the first time Björck took part in a game for Sweden as part of an official line. Previously, he had skated as the team’s 13th forward in their 8–1 win against Germany. In today’s game, Björck played on a line with Milton Gastrin and Eric Nilson, totalling nine shifts over 7:01 minutes.
Czechia 6, Canada 4
Canada lost in a massive heartbreaker to a Czech team that has had their number throughout the past three World Junior Championships. In a third period filled with multiple penalties called, and untimely penalties taken by Canada, it was Czechia that scored late once again to defeat Canada and send them to the gold medal game.
In tonight’s loss, Canucks forward Braeden Cootes played primarily with Cole Reschny and Jett Luchanko on Canada’s fourth line. He didn’t end up playing much in the third period, as Canada was chasing a lead for the bulk of the time. Cootes finished the game with 9:02 minutes played and averaged 0:45 seconds per shift.
Preliminary Round Recaps
January 5 Schedule
Canada vs. Finland: 1:30 pm PT
Sweden vs. Czechia: 5:30 pm PT
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